It Takes Time
by nevermore199
Summary: It takes time to come back from a fall, but when you do, the life above is so much sweeter. AU, one shot, Izumi x Meroko.


**Hey there. I've had this idea spinning in my head for a while, and now I finally have the urge to put it on paper. It's very obviously AU, and I'm fairly certain that most of you will complain about Sheldan being out of character, but there's a good reason for it.**

**Well, enjoy.**

* * *

On one side of the room, a group of men were laughing loudly, clutching paper cups of alcohol in their hands. They talked at the top of their voices, making jokes and knocking their glasses together. They seemed to laugh at the slightest things, and their faces got more and more flushed with each round of alcohol.

On the opposite side of the room, a teenage girl with long pink hair sat quietly on a chair in a corner, her violet eyes staring at the ground. Her hands were folded in her lap, and she occasionally cast glances at the group of rowdy men in the other corner.

At one glance, she caught a certain man with long silver hair and amber eyes looking back at her with a grin on his face, and she blushed and turned away.

_Sheldan…_ She sighed. _You've been drinking again…I really wish you wouldn't…_

Almost as though summoned by the thought of his name, the man named Sheldan broke away from the group of men and sauntered over to where Meroko sat. He had an empty cup in his hand, and his face had an unmistakably drunken flush to it.

"Hey, Meroko," he said, grinning. "How's it?"

"You've been drinking," Meroko replied softly.

"Huh?" Sheldan looked at the empty cup in confusion. After a few seconds of staring, a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh…yeah, I have…"

Meroko sighed. "Sheldan, I really wish you wouldn't drink. It's terrible for you."

"Aw, don't worry, Meroko, it'll all be fine," Sheldan said lazily. He knelt down next to Meroko and gazed deeply into her eyes. "Don't be so worried."

Meroko squirmed in her seat and looked away. "But…"

Sheldan leaned in closer. "It's alright, Meroko," he murmured, his voice silky. "You don't have to worry so much."

Meroko leaned back as far as she could, and her head knocked against the wall. Color crept onto her cheeks. "Sheldan…"

She squeezed her eyes shut as he came even closer. Their faces were now inches apart.

"Sheldan, stop it…You know what I told you…you promised…"

Sheldan didn't appear to be listening. The paper cup was now on the floor as he took her face in his hands.

"It's all right," he said huskily. "Just relax."

Meroko's eyes grew wide with fear, and she tried to shake herself out of Sheldan's grasp, but to no avail. On the other side of the room, the men had stopped talking amongst themselves and were now focused on Meroko and Sheldan. Many of them were hooting and clapping.

Meroko's face flushed brilliant red as Sheldan's face leaned towards hers, and before she had time to think, her hand had flashed out and slapped Sheldan across the face.

Sheldan shouted and lurched backward in shock, his cheek red where Meroko had hit him. The men gasped in shock, their startled eyes flipping between Meroko and Sheldan.

For a long moment, there was silence in the room.

Then Meroko muttered, "Goodbye, Sheldan," under her breath, and ran out the door.

* * *

Meroko kept running, even when her legs burned with pain and her breath came in great gasps. She didn't think about her exhaustion or her pounding lungs; all she could think about was putting as much distance as possible between that party and herself.

After running several blocks, Meroko's legs finally started to give out. She stopped running and placed a hand on her wildly thumping heart, looking around. The possibility of Sheldan coming after her was a very distinct one. She would have driven home, but Sheldan had been her ride, so her car was sitting parked in her driveway. She thought of walking, but her house was on the other side of town, and her legs were groaning with pain.

After inspecting the block, Meroko stumbled into a large supermarket. She figured she could sit here and rest for a minute, and then head home once she had her breath back.

She wandered over to a bench and sat down with a moan. Her legs ached and her hand was still very slightly sore from when she had slapped Sheldan, but she tried not to think about that too much.

Instead, she stared up at the ceiling and wondered how on Earth she had gotten herself into this mess.

Sheldan had been her boyfriend for almost two months now. She had found herself drawn to his good looks, his charisma, and his smile. And besides, it wasn't every day that a guy asked you out.

The first few weeks had been nice enough. Normal relationship stuff. Most of her friends had given her worried looks and voiced their concerns about her going out with a twenty-one-year-old, and her parents hadn't been too happy, but Meroko had brushed them off. What did they know, anyway? She was eighteen years old and in her last year of high school. She knew how to take care of herself. Besides, Sheldan wasn't _that_ much older than her.

But after about a month, things had changed. Sheldan had started taking Meroko to parties, and he always wound up getting drunk, no matter how many times he promised that he wouldn't. Meroko hated it when Sheldan drank. Sometimes he would yell at her, and other times he would try to kiss her, even though she had told him several times that she had a policy of not kissing the guys she dated until she felt she had gotten to know them enough. Sometimes he even…

_Well, enough thinking about that,_ she thought, rubbing her arm and sighing. She knew that her relationship with Sheldan wasn't a very good one anymore. She knew that she should break up with him.

But she was afraid.

_What if he gets mad or something? What if he tries to make me stay with him? What do I do then?_

She rubbed her arm again and gave another sigh. _I just don't know what to do…_

"Meroko?"

Meroko jumped at the sound of her name and looked up with a startled expression on her face.

"I-Izumi!" she stuttered, jumping to her feet. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Izumi brushed his blonde hair out of his amber eyes and gave her an odd look. "I work here, Meroko."

"Wha—oh." Meroko blushed as she remembered. "Oh…right…"

Izumi was one of her ex-boyfriends. Out of the boys she had dated, Meroko's relationship with Izumi had definitely been the most serious. They had gone out for over a year before breaking up. Even though they weren't together anymore, Meroko wasn't sure whether or not she still had feelings for him, and had been nervous around him ever since.

"What are _you_ doing here, Meroko?" Izumi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Last I checked, you didn't work here."

"It's none of your business!" Meroko replied angrily, crossing her arms. "Maybe I'm just walking!"

"At the supermarket?"

Meroko went pink, but continued. "M-Maybe I'm waiting on Sheldan!"

Izumi's eyes grew darker for a brief moment. "Oh?" he said coolly. "Well, in that case, I won't bother you." He turned to leave.

Meroko gave an exasperated sigh. "Izumi!" Izumi turned back, and Meroko sighed again. "Izumi, I'm not waiting on Sheldan. Why do you always get so worked up when I mention him?"

Izumi looked away. "Well, I'm almost done with my shift. Do you want a ride home?"

"What?" Meroko jumped. "Oh, no, really, that's okay!" She smiled nervously and waved her hands in front of her face. "I can walk home, really. It's not a problem."

Izumi looked doubtful. "It's not safe to walk around by yourself this late at night."

"I'll be fine!" Meroko said, nodding wildly. "It's not that late. And…I live far away, so…"

"Oh?" Izumi smiled. "Then you definitely need a ride."

Meroko screamed inwardly and looked to the ceiling, feeling as though she might cry.

_Why…why…why…_

"Something wrong, Meroko?" Izumi asked dryly.

"Oh, no, nothing at all…" Meroko said, her voice weak and helpless.

* * *

"Alright, then. My car's parked in the back."

Meroko sighed and miserably slunk along after Izumi. "Fine…"

Izumi smiled. "You know, you don't have to look so depressed," he commented. "I'm only giving you a ride home."

Meroko's shoulders slumped, and she muttered something about not wanting to trouble him.

The truth of the matter was that she hadn't been looking forward to walking all the way home and greatly appreciated Izumi's offer. But Meroko found herself more than nervous at the prospect of being alone in a car with Izumi. Her thoughts were wandering into places she didn't want to visit.

_Come on, Meroko, he's just some guy you used to date!_ Meroko shouted at herself. _There's no need to get so nervous…right?_

"Meroko?"

Meroko blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked where Sheldan was."

"Um…what do you mean?"

Izumi stopped walking and turned around, fixing Meroko with a flat stare. "You were with him before; I know you were."

Meroko blushed again, and felt relieved that the night was dark enough to hide the color on her face. "Says who?"

"In school today, he was talking about a party. And since you seem to follow him everywhere, it only seems logical that you would go with him."

Meroko cursed inwardly. _Shoot._

"What makes you say that?" she asked casually, stalling for time. "I don't go everywhere he goes, you know."

"Yes, you do."

"Do not."

"You do."

"Do not."

"You do."

"Do _not_."

Izumi laughed. "You know you do."

Meroko glared at Izumi, her fists clenched. "I hate you."

"I've been told. So, are you going to tell me where you were before you happened to run into me?"

Meroko hesitated, then let out a long sigh. "You're right," she admitted reluctantly. "I was at a party with Sheldan."

"I knew it."

"Oh, shut up."

Izumi smiled. "Don't be so cold, Meroko," he said happily. After a few seconds, the smile faded, and he asked, "So why aren't you there now?"

"…Oh…" Meroko bit her lip and looked away. She'd been hoping to avoid telling this part, but at the rate she was going, Izumi would worm it out of her anyway.

"Well…um…I sort of…slapped him in the face and ran out."

"Oh." If Izumi was surprised at this, he didn't let it show. "That reminds me; is there anything going on between you two?"

Meroko blinked. "Uh, we're _dating_."

"I mean, have you two been fighting?" Izumi clarified.

Meroko was startled at this question, but quickly responded, "No, of course not! What makes you say that?"

"Hmm…" Izumi shook his head. "Nothing. You just seem a little…distant lately."

Meroko swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn't notice. Distant? Well, for the past few weeks she had been a little depressed over how the thing with Sheldan was going—but she thought she'd done a good job of hiding it.

_Man…this guy is sharp_, she thought, wincing mentally.

An awkward, silent pause stretched for a few seconds. Izumi eventually broke it by saying, "Here's the car."

Meroko looked at the black car that Izumi stood in front of. "Oh. That's…nice."

"It gets the job done." Izumi began fishing in his pockets for his keys. As he started to draw them out, they slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. "Shoot," he muttered. He started to lean down to get them.

"Oh, I'll get it," Meroko said, and quickly leaned down and picked up the keys. She lifted them up and offered them to him. "Here."

Izumi reached out his hand, his fingers brushing lightly against Meroko's hand as he took the keys. Meroko found herself blushing harder than ever.

"So…um…I'll just…" she said, gesturing to the car. "I'll get in…yeah…" She awkwardly rubbed her arm, feeling embarrassed.

Izumi gave her a strange look, but unlocked the car. Meroko walked around to the passenger side, stopping when she saw Izumi following her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I'm opening the door for you," Izumi explained politely. With a slight bow, he opened the car door. "It's the polite thing to do."

"Oh…um…" Meroko wasn't sure what to say. Even now, his politeness and his ability to be a real gentleman made her feel a little awkward. Gentlemen were rather hard to find at her high school, as she had learned the hard way. "Um…thanks…"

As she started to get in the car, the sleeve of her shirt caught on the edge of the door, and Meroko didn't notice until she had already sat down, resulting in a long tear on the sleeve.

"Darn it all," she muttered darkly, getting back out and investigating the damage. "I just bought this…"

Izumi didn't say a thing. He only squinted at her arm.

Meroko noticed this. "Uh…something wrong, Izumi?" she asked.

Izumi responded by grabbing her wrist and holding her arm up higher, examining it under the moonlight. Meroko's eyes widened, and she tried to pull away. "Hey! Wh-what are you doing?"

"Meroko, are those _bruises_ on your arm?"

Meroko gasped and looked at her arm. Sure enough, there were a few dark purple bruises on her arm, revealed by the tear in her shirt.

"Wh-what?" Meroko stuttered, shaking her head wildly. "No—what are you—hey!"

Izumi was carefully rolling up her sleeve, his eyes widening with growing horror as he revealed more and more bruises. Meroko struggled to break free, but Izumi had a tight grip on her arm.

When the sleeve had been rolled up all the way, and Meroko's bruised arm was completely revealed, Izumi could only stare for several long seconds. Then he turned his gaze to Meroko, his face covered with horror and anger.

"Where did all of these come from?"

"They—"

"Who did this to you?"

"Nobody—"

"I don't believe you! Where did you get these?"

"It's—" Meroko flinched under Izumi's gaze. "It's nothing—I just—tripped and hit my arm on the wall, that's all—"

"—Has he been abusing you?" Izumi cut in.

Meroko's posture became noticeably tenser at this. "W-wh-what? No way! Of course not!"

"You're lying!"

Meroko let out a cry of pain as Izumi pushed her back against the car, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"You're lying!" Izumi repeated, his voice angry now. "That's why you've been so distant, isn't it? That's why you ran out on that party tonight! It's because he's been hurting you all this time!"

Meroko shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "No—"

"That's the truth, isn't it?"

Meroko opened her mouth to protest again, but the words froze in her mouth. For a long time, all she could do was stare at Izumi, with the same frightened expression on her face. As Izumi watched, tears slowly began to form in Meroko's eyes, growing and multiplying until they finally spilled over.

Meroko bowed her head, shaking all over as tears rolled down her cheeks and sobs tore from her throat. She could no longer speak; all she could manage was a nod.

Without another word, Izumi put his arms around Meroko and gently drew her sobbing and shaking form close to him, resting her head against his chest. He held her close while she cried, stroking her hair and resting his chin on top of her head.

"It's all right, Meroko," he whispered. "It's all right."

They remained that way for several long minutes, until Meroko finally pulled away, still sniffling as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking away. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"Crying," Meroko mumbled.

Izumi gave her a worried look. "That's not something to apologize for."

Meroko climbed into the car. "Can we just go?"

Although Izumi still looked concerned, he walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. Slowly, he drove the car out of the parking lot. They began to pick up speed once they got on the road.

"How long?" Izumi asked after a few minutes of silence. His voice was quiet.

"Sorry?"

"How long has he been doing this to you?"

Meroko bit her lip. "Oh, not that long….Maybe a month…a month and a week, at the very most." She fixed Izumi with a slightly pleading expression. "Izumi, you're not going to do anything, are you?"

Izumi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Depends on what you're talking about."

"Sheldan."

Izumi's hands clenched tighter around the steering wheel, and his knuckles turned white. "Maybe."

"Izumi, don't," Meroko begged.

"Why the hell not?" Izumi's expression was murderous. "I'm not just going to stand around and let him abuse you."

"Please, Izumi, don't," Meroko said desperately. "He has a lot of friends…they're all older…I don't want him—them—to…"

She trailed off, and Izumi turned his head to look at her for a moment. "What?" he asked rather roughly.

Meroko felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she spoke. "I don't…want him to hurt you."

She immediately turned and stared out the window, trying to hide her reddened face from Izumi.

* * *

When they finally arrived at Meroko's house, Izumi broke the awkward silence by saying, "Well…here it is."

Meroko looked out at her house. "Oh…yeah." She nodded. "Well…I'll just be going, then…"

She made to get out, but Izumi grabbed her arm, gripping a spot that was bruised under the blouse. Wincing, Meroko turned to face him.

"What?"

"You need to break up with him, Meroko," Izumi said.

Instead of acting flustered, like Izumi had expected, Meroko smiled sadly. "I know," she sighed. "But I've been…well, afraid, to tell the truth. If I break up with him, and he gets mad…he could get pretty violent."

"You can't stay with him," Izumi said firmly. His grip on her arm tightened. "You can't just sit by and let him do that to do. If you don't get rid of him, I will."

Meroko flinched. "Um, Izumi…that hurts."

Izumi looked confused. "What?"

"Your hand."

Izumi looked at his hand, then realized how tight he was holding Meroko's arm. "Oh, sorry," he said, letting go.

Meroko smiled with relief. "Thanks," she said. "Well, I guess I'll go now. Thanks for the ride home."

Izumi smiled. "Don't mention it." His gaze became abruptly serious. "You _are_ going to break up with him, aren't you?"

Meroko's face fell. "Uh…well…"

"If you don't, I'll just go find him myself and give him a piece of my mind," Izumi warned.

"Oh, all right." Meroko looked defeated. "I'll call him tomorrow, okay?"

Izumi nodded. "Good girl."

Meroko scowled at him. "You know that I hate you, right?"

Izumi leaned in and pressed his lips against Meroko's in a kiss. Before Meroko had time to do anything other than blink, he had pulled back again, his eyes filled with passion.

"I know," he murmured in a silky voice. A smile came to his face.

Meroko was starting to go red. "What…what…" She touched her lips with a finger. "What was…?"

"It's called a kiss, Meroko," Izumi said teasingly. "Surely your memory's not that bad."

Meroko gritted her teeth. "You—you—" she sputtered angrily.

"What's the matter?" Izumi asked in a playful voice. "Do you want another one?"

"_WHAT_?"

Meroko's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and her face burned red. "Wh-what the—what are you—_NO WAY_! Of course not!"

A smile still lingered on Izumi's face. "Whatever you say," he said easily. "Now, go on home. Your mother might not be happy if she comes out and finds you in a car with a guy."

"Fine!" Meroko huffed. "Good_bye_!" She clambered out of the car, slammed the door shut, and stalked off to her house. Izumi watched her enter her house.

_Meroko…my Meroko…No matter how many bad relationships you go through, I'll still be the one holding you at the end of the night…_

_Don't worry, Meroko…I'm willing to wait. You're more than worth it._

He thought of that moment when their lips had met, and his smile grew wider.

**

* * *

**

**Yeah, Sheldan was probably a mite out of character. But, hey, he was drunk. You'd probably be a little out of character if you were drunk.**

**I do love Izumero fluff.**

**RRE.**


End file.
